More District 202 students each year earn the State of Illinois Seal of Biliteracy by demonstrating a high level of proficiency in English and in reading, writing, listening, and speaking another language.
District 202 has recognized students who have earned the seal since 2018.
Eleven students earned the seal in 2018-2019, and 78 earned it in the 2024-2025 school year.
Ninety-three students at all four high schools earned the seal this school year.
Students also earned a new designation created this year, the State Commendation Toward Biliteracy.
This is an official recognition awarded by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to graduating high school students who have demonstrated significant progress toward achieving biliteracy.
Fifty seniors at all four high schools earned commendation this school year.
Earning either of these awards is not only an academic achievement but one that has positive financial and career implications, said Cindy Castanon, District 202 Director of Multilingual Education.
Illinois public colleges and universities also award college credit to those who earn the seal, which can potentially save on tuition costs and fast-track a college minor, she said.
“The seal serves as a state-validated industry credential for students entering trade or technical fields,” said Castanon.
“It gives graduates a distinct competitive edge with employers who value verified language skills in fields like healthcare, business, and technology, often leading to immediate job placement.”
Local school districts give the State Seal of Biliteracy to encourage students to pursue biliteracy and honor students’ mastery of two or more languages. Students must pass a foreign language Advanced Placement exam with a score of three or higher to earn this distinction.
Congratulations to these students who graduated in 2026.
PLAINFIELD HIGH SCHOOL – CENTRAL CAMPUS
Seal of Biliteracy
Cesar Arciniega, Spanish
Camila De La Torre, Spanish
Emma Degrado, American Sign Language
Santiago Delgado Salinas, Spanish
Briana Dorantes Ortiz, Spanish
Elizabeth Gadzinski, American Sign Language
Gabrielle Hanson, American Sign Language
Atlas (Kylie) Heumann, American Sign Language
Alyssa Ignasak, American Sign Language
Johanna Landeros, Spanish
Lillie McMillan, American Sign Language
Rose Ndegoe Pelamie, French
Ariana Paskar, Russian
Isabel Ramirez, Spanish
Briana Ramirez, Spanish
Abril Reyes Rodriguez, Spanish
Brooke Richter, American Sign Language
Grayson Smolar, American Sign Language
Linda Tamayo, Spanish
Jonathan Van Ham, American Sign Language
Suin Jung, Korean
State Commendation Toward Biliteracy
Sara Rehman, Spanish
Thomas Renzas, American Sign Language
Jennifer Villa Castellanos, Spanish
Hayden Wendt, French
Addison Zitello, Spanish
PLAINFIELD SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL
Seal of Biliteracy
Jocelyn Almanzan, Spanish
Kamryn Cook, American Sign Language
Katelyn Dejesus, Spanish
Diana Hernandez, Spanish
Amanda Johnson, American Sign Language
Sergio Martinez, Spanish
Clara Poker, American Sign Language
Arianna Stewart, French
Andrea Tavares, Spanish
Vanessa Zenteno, Spanish
State Commendation Toward Biliteracy
Miriam Cortez, French and Spanish
Julianne Dunmore, Spanish
Caroline Jankowski, French
Ashley Clark, Spanish
Isabella Piraino, American Sign Language
PLAINFIELD NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
Seal of Biliteracy
Haidarah Al-shaheen, Arabic
Whitney Andre, American Sign Language
Izabella Arroyo, Spanish
Madison Bowers, Spanish
Blakely Buckmeier, American Sign Language
Simran Chaudhary, Spanish
Donovan Culver, American Sign Language
Charlotte Easton, American Sign Language
Jada Emeto, American Sign Language
Isabella Fletcher, Spanish
Bianca Flores, Spanish
Alyssa Gnadt, American Sign Language
Alexa Gracia, Spanish
Joseph Jezuit, Spanish
Vanessa Li, Chinese
Vanessa Longly, American Sign Language
Jacqueline Lopez, Spanish
Mia Michaelis, American Sign Language
Jacqueline Murillo, Spanish
Madison Nero, Spanish
Jocelyn Noble, American Sign Language
Ifeoluwa Olanrewaju, American Sign Language
Austin Pavlik, American Sign Language
Casey Pavlik, American Sign Language
Madelyn Potts, American Sign Language
Lily Pyatt, Spanish
Tessa Russo, American Sign Language
Campbell Sugrue, Spanish
Sydney Sullivan, American Sign Language
Brooke Vantine, American Sign Language
Hailey Visser, American Sign Language
Hiroshi Yanajara, Spanish
Halim Zaki, Spanish
State Commendation Toward Biliteracy
Shiloh Adams, Spanish
Lily Allen, German
Patricia Botnari, Spanish
Ashley Elliot, Spanish
Naran Erkhembileg, American Sign Language
Kaiser Fechner, German
Sebastian Gonzalez, Spanish
Ved Gursahani, Spanish
Tahir Hafeez, American Sign Language
Malachi Hennignsgaard, Spanish
Madeline Jablonski, American Sign Language
Kaitlin Lee, Chinese
Abagail Mayes, American Sign Language
Berit Mores, German
Ariana Olivares, Spanish
Emeline Paciero, French
Jai Patel, Spanish
Akshayaa Raj, American Sign Language
Allison Richards, American Sign Language
Samuel Tota, Spanish
Alexandra Tsikouris, American Sign Language
Naren Vikram, Spanish
Kaliah Dolph, American Sign Language
PLAINFIELD EAST HIGH SCHOOL
Seal of Biliteracy
Tishma Ahmed, Spanish
Loretta Baltrum, Spanish
Emma Bramwell, American Sign Language
Isabelle Bustamante-Lopez, Spanish
Sophia Cain, Spanish
Mia Carpio, Spanish
Taylor Cyranek, American Sign Language
Colin Dominiak, German
Janet Duran-Manzo, Spanish
Kyleah Edison, Spanish
Ian Flores, Spanish
Leah Gothelf, Spanish
Madeline Gothelf, Spanish
Jamrya Hodge, Spanish
Camila Jimenez, Spanish
Zoe Lee, Spanish
Natalie Limias, Spanish
Aliana Lopez Gomez, Spanish
Samia Mohiuddin, Spanish
Saadia Musani, Spanish
Isabella Nuez, Spanish
Kaelynn Romo, Spanish
Emilia Sanchez Tamayo, Spanish
Gabriella Schemidt, Spanish
Olivia Seeley, American Sign Language
Rishi Shah, Spanish
Jackeline Valencia, Spanish
Gibran Vargas, Spanish
Aleena Yousuf, Spanish
State Commendation Toward Biliteracy
Ameena Ahmed, Spanish
Niko Bahena, Spanish
Mila Bosevska, Spanish
Raegan Boyles, American Sign Language
Heather Bunker, American Sign Language
Mason Cachur, American Sign Language
Autumn Emeric, Spanish
Danna Gonzalez, Spanish
Chris Nathaniel Morales, Spanish
Haylen Nguyen, Spanish
Alaina Nino, Spanish
Tristan Patel, German, Italian, and Spanish
Jillian Petkus, American Sign Language
Savannah Robertson, American Sign Language
Jackeline Valencia, American Sign Language
Vilandy Zacarias, Spanish
Jeronimo Velasquez Isaza, Spanish